Resurgent EJ Obiena rules Poland meet for third straight gold

EJ Obiena extended his resurgence after striking another gold medal, soaring to his best result in two years to rule the 2026 Golden Sand in Poland on Monday night (Philippine time).

The Filipino pole vault ace cleared a season-best 5.91 meters—his first jump of 5.90 meters or higher since 2024—to claim his third straight gold medal while also setting a new meet record.

The last time Obiena cleared near this height was during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he cleared 5.90 meters to finish fourth in his second Summer Games appearance.

In 2025, his best output was a 5.80-meter jump during his title run at the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge in Makati.

He struggled to replicate that result earlier this year, but recovered his form last July by finishing fourth at the Fly Athens Street Pole Vault with a 5.81-meter result.

Since then, the 30-year-old Obiena has been flaunting his old form, finishing second in the Meeting Madrid with a 5.85-meter result before claiming back-to-back gold medals in a pair of tournaments in Germany ahead of the Golden Sand.

—JMB, GMA News